Wearing apparel



Dec. 22, 1936. J. B. RUSSELL WEARING APPAREL Filed March 23, 1936 mgm m m WRO m: a w 4 2 x Q 2 5 H m Patented Dec. 22, 1936 ETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

of the wearer, an excessive amount of material is necessarily utilized. Accordingly, all reinforcements, stitching, and lining where desirable, will be doubled.

While the stiffened front portion of such individual dress or tuxedo shirts is the only part of its composition intended to be visible, the relative movement of such separate garments often exposes the body of the shirt. For this reason the quality of the material of which the body of the shirt consists must necessarily be commensurate with the rest of the garment, reflecting an excessive cost of both labor and materials of the entire ensemble.

In addition to the amount of the material and tailoring required, numerous other disadvantages of even greater magnitude result. As the stiffened portion of the shirt must extend several inches within the vest at the sides and bottom to prevent the relative displacement thereof and facilitate in maintaining the contour of the cut and design of the whole, the size of the shirt front is considerably greater than that portion which should be normally visible between the lapcls of the vest. As a result of its length and breadth, movement of the shoulders and waist of the wearer will cause wrinkles to form at both the sides and bottom of the stiffened front, which distortion bulges and spreads the vest, thus destroying the symmetry of their correct association.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a method of making a combination shirt and vest adapted to supplant the usual dress suit or tuxedo shirt and vest of the prior art, which involves a minimum of materials and skill in tailoring.

Another object is to provide a unitary dress shirt and vest having a single back portion to minimize the quantity of both labor and materials required for its manufacture, and which is adaptable to numerous variations in cut and in design to correspond with particular modes.

Another object is the provision of a garment comprising a shirt body having rigidly sewed thereto a combination vest and shirt front,

adapted to emulate the appearance of a twopiece ensemble and by establishing the exact placement of the visible portion of the stiffened front of the shirt relative to the vest, avoiding the objectionable separation of individual vest 5 and shirt fronts of the prior art caused by wrinkles or creases tending to form at the shoulders and waist of the wearer.

Other objects and corresponding advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon 10 an examination of the following description read in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of the body of a shirt illustrating the attachment of the vest 15 portion thereon;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on correspondingly-numbered lines of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is, in combination, the elements of a partially completed garment showing, respec- O tively, the pattern of the combination shirt and vest front, a dummy pocket, and lapel.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numerals of which indicate similar parts throughout the several views, 5 designates generally the body of an open-back shirt provided with one or more buttons (not shown) or other means of attachment to releasably hold the same in place on the body of the wearer. On the front of the shirt one or more pieces of material 6, adaptable for use as a stiffening, are attached in the manner hereinafter referred toonly one ply being illustrated as it will be apparent that more may be added in particular embodiments. The upper part of the stiffening 6 corresponds in shape to a collar I of the shirt 5, and the side portions indicated at 8 coincide with the edges of a full dress or tuxedo vest front about to be described.

The outside visible portion of the combination shirt and vest front 9, comprising a piece of soft 40 quality material such, for example, as pique, is initially cut as illustrated in Fig. 4. The center is then folded into a pleat l0 and the open outside edge of the pleat is stitched at H. The inside edge of the pleat is also stitched in position, as indicated at l2, from the collar to slightly above the waist line. Two or three stud holes l3 are formed in the pleat it between the stitching II and I 2; and a series of verticallyarranged buttons I4 are sewed on the pleat ID in vertical alignment with the studs between the lower edge of the front a and the waist line. The cloth adjacent each button is horizontally stitched at IE to present the. apearance of buttonholes.

To complete the aspect of a vest, lapels IIB are arranged in V-shape from the shoulders to approximately the point of termination of the stitching I2. The upper edges of each lapel are sewed, with the shirt and vest front 9 and stiffening material 6, to the shoulder seam ii of the shirt body 5, with the inner edges of the lapels stitched to the shirt and vest front at i8-i 8 which permits their lower and outer edges to hang free. The shirt and vest front is further attached to the shirt body by stitching I9 extending from the shoulder seam H along the side edges to slightly above the Waist line, as indicated at 2% Front 9 is then stitched to the shirt body 5 with the lower edges of the stiffening material 6 in a line diagonally inward and downward as at El to the waist line 20 and thence across the line 20. The diagonal stitching 2| facilitates attachment of the inner suspender furcations (not shown) to the trousers (also not shown) as will be obvious Without further description.

It will be seen that the shirt tails (not shown) of the shirt body are thus free for insertion into the trousers, and the lower portion of vest front 9 may overlap the trousers.

Pockets may be provided in the vest front in a manner well known in the art or small strips 22 of material such as indicated in Fig. 4, having their lower edges and sides sewed to the front of the vest will give the impression of pockets.

Straps 23 are attached to approximately the Waist line of the vest front and extend to the back of the wearer for attachment by button 24 or buckle in a well known manner to secure the girth of the garment.

The exact dimensions of the stiffening particularly as to length, relative to the visible portion of the shirt and vest front may vary. However, it is believed preferable to back the entire shirt and vest front with at least one sheet of stiffening in order to give body to the softer material utilized for the front.

It will also be understood that the shirt body may be standard as to size and sleeve length, having cuifs of any style desired; that the vest and shirt front may be either single or double breasted dependent upon the width of the pleat permitted by the initial pattern; that either the studs or buttons may be omitted to conform to the prevailing style; and that numerous changes may be made in size, arrangement, proportion and texture of the various parts hereofall without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

1. A vest and shirt bosom simulatmg mem- 5 ber adapted to be attached to a shirt body and comprising a continuous one-piece construction, means to attach the edges of the upper and breast portions of said member to said shirt body, and a horizontal line of stitching through 1 said member and said shirt body substantially above the bottom of said member, the portion of said member below said stitching being unattached to said shirt body.

2. A vest and shirt bosom simulating mem- 1 ber adapted to be attached to a shirt body, said member comprising a continuous unbroken piece of material having a vertical pleat therein, means to attach the upper and breast portions of said member to said shirt body, the lower 2 portion of said member up to a point substantiaily above the bottom of said member being unattached to said shirt body, lapels arranged with their upper edges at opposite upper sides of said member and their lower edges intersect- 2 ing said pleat at a point substantially above the lower end of said member, and means to attach the inner edges of said lapels to said member in said arranged position.

3. A combined vest and shirt bosom simulating member adapted to be attached to a shirt body and comprising a continuous unbroken piece of material having a vertical pleat therein, stitching securing the upper edge of said member to said shirt body substantially at the base of the 5 collar and shoulder seam of said shirt body, side stitching securing the side edges of the upper and breast portions of said member to said shirt body, said side stitching terminating at a point substantially above the bottom edge of 4 said member and leaving the portion of said member below said side stitching unattached, diagonal stitching from the lower edges of said breast portion to a horizontal line substantially above the bottom of said member, and lapels 4 having their respective inner edges secured to said shirt body from the shoulder seam thereof to a point on said pleat intermediate its ends,, the lower portion of said member up to a point:

substantially above the bottom thereof being 5' unattached to said shirt body.

JOSEPH BUCKLEY RUSSELL. 

